Sea Vegetables

Synonyms:seaweeds = algae = marine
algae

Most of us unknowingly eat processed sea vegetables every
day. Manufacturers use them as thickeners and stabilizers in such
products as ice cream, instant pudding, whipped toppings, salad
dressings, and even toothpaste. But unprocessed sea vegetables
haven't caught on much outside of Asia. It's a shame, since
they're dense with vitamins, minerals, and protein, yet low in
calories. You can usually find plastic bags of dehydrated sea
vegetables in health food stores, or in the Asian foods section of
larger supermarkets. After rehydrating, chop them up and add them
to salads, soups, stews, or stir-fries.

Varieties:

arame Notes: This popular
seaweed is very sweet and mild, and it's loaded with iron, calcium, and
iodine. Substitutes: hijiki (similar, but not as
sweet or mild) OR wakame OR kombu OR dulse

dulse Notes: This is a
salty seaweed, so it makes a great salt substitute in soups and stews.
Some people eat it raw, like beef jerky. It's rich in iron. Substitutes:
wakame OR arame OR hijiki OR sea
lettuce

hair vegetable = black moss = hair seaweed = hair-like
vegetable = fat choy Notes: The Chinese add this to
soups and use it as a garnish. Look for it in Chinese markets and
pharmacies.

hijiki = hiziki Notes:
Hijiki has a mild flavor, so it's a good choice if you want to slip a sea
vegetable unobtrusively into your soups and stews in order to fortify them
with calcium, iron, and other nutrients. When rehydrated, it roughly
quadruples in size, so a little goes a long way. Substitutes:
arame (This is milder than hijiki, and it doesn't expand as much when
rehydrated.) OR dulse

konbu = kombu = tangle = sea tangle =
oarweed = sea cabbage = kelp Pronunciation: KOM-boo
Notes:
Like other sea vegetables, konbu is rich in minerals. It's very
popular in Japan, where it's used to flavor dashi, a soup stock.
Konbu is usually sold dried, in strips or sheets.
Choose konbu that's very dark, almost black, and don't wipe
off the white residue that often appears on the surface; it's very flavorful.
Substitutes: monosodium
glutamate (as a flavor-booster; use just a dash)

sushi nori = seaweed sheets = nori Pronunciation:
SUE-she NOH-ree OR SUE-she NOR-ee Notes: These
thin dark sheets are
used to make sushi. They're usually a dark purplish-black, but they turn
green and acquire a pleasant, nutty flavor when toasted. You can make your
own toasted nori sheets by passing
nori sheets over a flame a few times. Yaki means cooked in Japanese, so
pretoasted nori sheets are labeled yaki-nori
or yaki sushi nori. Look for
toasted and untoasted sushi nori in the Asian foods section of large supermarkets.
The name nori is also used for laver, the plant that sushi nori is made
from. Unlike sushi nori, laver should be rehydrated before use. If
you can't find sushi nori, one option is to make sushi without a wrapper.
It helps to use plastic wrap to shape the roll. Substitutes:
soybean paper (This also makes a good wrapper for sushi.)

laver = purple laver = purple seaweed = nori =
redware Pronunciation: LAY-verNotes:
This protein-rich seaweed is popular in Britain and Japan. To rehydrate,
soak it in water for about an hour, then add it to soups and salads. Laver
is sometimes called nori, but that name is more commonly used for the dark
sheets that the Japanese use to wrap sushi, which are made from the same
plant. Substitutes: sushi nori

salted seaweed = nama wakame Notes:
Nama wakame is Japanese for "raw seaweed." Look
for bags of this heavily salted seaweed in Japanese or Korean markets.

wakame = alaria Pronunciation: wah-KAH-mayNotes: This has a sweet flavor, and it's rich in
calcium. It's often rehydrated and then added to miso soup or sautéed as
a side dish. Dry wakame can also be toasted and crumbled over salads and
other dishes. It's very high in calcium. Substitutes: sea lettuce OR dulse OR arame